Thursday 7 March 2024

[cobirds] Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists (07 Mar 2024) 8 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 07, 2024
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture000
Osprey000
Bald Eagle11010
Northern Harrier000
Sharp-shinned Hawk000
Cooper's Hawk000
American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk000
Red-tailed Hawk74242
Rough-legged Hawk000
Swainson's Hawk000
Ferruginous Hawk011
Golden Eagle033
American Kestrel022
Merlin000
Peregrine Falcon000
Prairie Falcon000
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter000
Unknown Buteo000
Unknown Falcon000
Unknown Eagle000
Unknown Raptor000
Total:85858


Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 3.5 hours
Official CounterDustin Kohler
Observers: Bill Young



Visitors:
We had 5 visitors on the partial day today including Bill Young to help observe migrants with me.

Weather:
Small flakes when I got to the ridge this morning. The clouds blew away for a few hours before returning and starting to snow around 1. With a winter weather advisory until tomorrow evening, I ended the survey at 1.

Raptor Observations:
Other than the one Bald Eagle migrant, all of the other migrants stayed lower than normal staying around the same height of the ridges around us, going down to eye level and rarely under. Other than an occasional escort the local raptors seemed to be sheltering for the upcoming storm.

Non-raptor Observations:
9 mule deer were on the trail on my way up to the ridge this morning, and around 50 elk were sheltering along the trees near the bare slope. A flock of 20 mountain bluebirds flew over us during the nicer part of today.

Predictions:
There appears to be a winter weather advisory for tomorrow. A short count or a canceled count is likely


Report submitted by Janet Peters (j.f.peters58@gmail.com)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: http://www.dfobirds.org
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]




Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk watchers may
see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent site to see rare
dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk, Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous
hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. Other raptors we see include Golden
and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons,
Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey
Vultures. American Goshawk is uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor
species include Rock Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane,
White-throated Swift, American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any
skill level are always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by a
Hawk Counter and volunteers from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM from March 1st to May 10th,
weather permitting.

Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left
into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs from the
southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike starts heading
east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a trail on the west side
of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the ridge, turn left, and walk to
the flat area at the crest of the ridge. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain:
259 feet)

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